Walk for Reconcilliation

It’s Time for Reconciliation

The TRC is holding its closing events in Ottawa,May 31-June 3, 2015.

For more than 120 years, tens of thousands of Aboriginal children were sent to Indian Residential Schools funded by the federal government and run by the churches. They were taken from their families and communities in order to be stripped of language, cultural identity and traditions. Canada’s attempt to wipe out Aboriginal cultures failed. But it left an urgent need for reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples.

Be a part of the National Journey for Healing and Reconciliation!

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) is holding its Closing Event in Ottawa from May 31 to June 3, 2015. All gatherings are held at the Delta Ottawa, unless otherwise indicated. Open to the public and admission is free.

To answer questions like What Happened? What is the purpose of the TRC and where do we go from here, visit www.trc.ca.

The website also offers a schedule of events for the week including:

Daily Sunrise ceremonies on Victoria Island

Evening eventsSunday: Film at the National Gallery, “Trick or Treaty” Monday: Play at the Marion Dewar Plaza, La Voix du Silence Tuesday: Film at the National Gallery, “Older than America) Tuesday: Talent Night at Marion Dewar Plaza

"Walk for Reconciliation" May 31st: Gather at the Wellington Street door after the 9:30 am service to participate with fellow Presbyterians including our Moderator the Rev. Dr. Stephen Farris! We will take a bus from City Hall to the Robert Guertin arena in Gatineau. After some brief music and speeches starting at 11:15 we will walk the 4. 7 km through Gatineau, across the Portage Bridge passing Victoria Island, along Wellington St to Marion Dewar Plaza at City Hall where speeches and entertainment will start at 2:00 p.m. Or, for a shorter walk starting at Victoria Island, join the Walkers as they pass St. Andrew's sometime after the eleven o’clock service. After the walk there will be speeches and entertainment at Marion Dewar plaza followed by a Circle of Prayer at 5:00 pm

Sharing Circles enable survivors, their families, former staff and anyone else affected by the residential schools to share their truth with others in a public setting. The Circles will be facilitated by members of the TRC Indian Residential School Survivors Committee and will take place on Monday and Tuesday at the Delta Inn, from 10 am to 1 pm and again from 2 pm to 5 pm.

Learning Place and the Church Archives will be at the Delta Hotel on Monday and Tuesday. Here you can learn about the effect that the residential school experience had on the lives of the children as they became adults and look through some of the historic documents from the archives of the churches who operated the Indian Residential Schools.

The final report is being released on June 2nd at 11 am. You can be present for that at the Delta or tune in via webcast. Responses from the parties to the settlement will follow.